This invention relates to the field of packaging, shipping and product display. More particularly, it relates to a door unit installation kit such as may be used for homes and offices. These door units contain a number of parts necessary for on-site installation, such as the door, a hinge jamb, a strike jamb, a head jamb, a sill, a sweep, molding and insulation strips. The invention consists of a special container that allows the kit to be conveniently packaged, displayed and transported.
Flat rigid articles, such as doors, wallboard, panelling and the like are typically packaged and shipped in bundles containing a number of such articles. Various means have been developed to package such bundles. One type of packaging consists of tying means such as disclosed un U.S. Pat. No. 2,271,632. The doors may then be sold as single units to the end user, often in an unpackaged form.
A few packaging methods are directed to packaging of single articles, such as a door. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,757,854 discloses a tube into which a door may be inserted.
Still other packaging methods are directed to packaging fragile items such as glass sheets and products such as doors that contain glass sheets. Such packaging has traditionally used rigid hard containers of material such as wood. U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,188 discloses another type of packaging container for a single unit designed to prevent breakage and permit easy handling and stacking.
Doors are often sold as separate units as in the methods of packaging discussed above, but may also be sold as part of a door installation unit. These units include various materials used to build the door, such as jambs, sills and sweeps. Hardware may also be included.
Door units sold in an assembled or partially assembled form are referred to in the trade as "pre-hung". These doors are sold with the jamb already attached around the door with hinges. When sold in this form, the jamb itself frames and protects the door, and there is not a problem of loose pieces.
When door units are sold unassembled, there is a problem of securing the various parts. Commonly used forms of packaging simply bundle the various pieces with wire or cord. One such bundling method is a metal band tightly strung around the door. A problem with this type of method is that the metal band is damaging to the surface of the material being packaged unless some form of cushion or pad is placed between the band and the door. Additionally, the metal band is often difficult to cut. A further problem is that the door unit parts are not well-secured inside the packaging and may easily slide out from the band.
Another form of packaging consists of a shallow receptacle into which the ends of the longest pieces are placed. Parts such as the jambs or sills are not stationary and move around inside the packaging, resulting in an unwieldy and hard to carry package.